Dallas County sheriff shows video of man's death after struggle with deputies in jail lobby

Sheriff Lupe Valdez showed a video Friday that captured the final moments of Joseph Hutcheson's life in the lobby of the Dallas County Jail.

Joseph Hutcheson, a 48-year-old handyman from Arlington, died Aug. 1 after he ran into the building, yelled for help and was placed in handcuffs. He lost consciousness and died.

Before showing the video, the sheriff expressed her condolences for Hutcheson's family and thanked witnesses who have come forward.

"All law enforcement officers are charged with maintaining peace and order," she said. "Today, in an effort to promote continued communications, we are releasing video footage of the incident that occurred in the public lobby of the Lew Sterrett Justice Center on Aug. 1, 2015."

In the 40-minute-long video, Hutcheson rushes through the lobby door and approaches people sitting on a bench. They get up and walk away, and he sits alone. He then gets up and limps around the lobby.

The video, which has no sound, shows a few deputies following Hutcheson around the lobby before struggling with him on the floor. He's handcuffed at some point in the tussle, during which his legs and feet flop around and eventually stop moving. At times during the struggle, a deputy appears to put a knee on his neck.

At the end of the clip, a deputy takes off Hutcheson's handcuffs and lays him face-up on the floor. Others start chest compressions and CPR. Valdez said they continued CPR until an ambulance arrived.

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Hours before Hutcheson died in the lobby, Valdez said he checked into Parkland Memorial Hospital at 4:17 a.m. She said he checked out of the hospital around 9:48 a.m. "against medical advice."

The sheriff said the medical examiner's office will soon release its findings and will also release a full autopsy report later. She declined to answer questions, citing the ongoing investigation.

This morning, Hutcheson's family visited the Sheriff's Department to watch the video of his death, said a minister who's been helping the family.

The family left shortly after noon without saying anything. Hutcheson's mother, who uses a walker, cried and sniffled as she got on an elevator, while his widow rubbed her back.

The Rev. Jeff Hood, executive director of Hope for Peace and Justice, a nonprofit that’s based at Cathedral of Hope in Dallas, said he prayed with the family on the phone around 10:30 a.m. before they went to see the video. He said the family was nervous when they spoke to him.

"They’re going to watch a tape where they know the outcome is not good," said Hood, who was out of town Friday. "They are going to watch their loved one die and so that’s hard, that’s hard regardless of the circumstances. And these circumstances make it even more difficult."

Family members and a witness have said a deputy put a knee to Hutcheson’s back and throat, causing him to struggle to breathe and leading to his death. Hutcheson's family --

"Nobody wins when there's a death by law enforcement, but we have to be just to both sides," she said. "I know what I need to do. I need to make sure this case is done correctly, no matter how long it takes."

Hood said he hopes the video is a step toward justice.

"We are going to continue to stay strong," he said. "We are going to continue to push, but regardless of what's on that tape, for someone to go into that jail and leave dead is a travesty."